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Faculty Profiles

Michael Soltys

Education

Ph.D. Computer Science, University of Toronto, 2001
M.Sc. Mathematics, University of Toronto, 1996
H.B.Sc. Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Toronto, 1995

Biography

Michael finished his Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Toronto (2001) under the supervision of Stephen Cook. His research was in the area of complexity and algorithms, specifically in low-complexity formalization of Linear Algebra. Michael feels fortunate to have studied at a top school and the birthplace of much of Theoretical Computer Science, under such names as Stephen Cook (NP-completeness), Charles Rackoff (Cryptography), Allan Borodin (Online Algorithms), and Alasdair Urquhart (Logic).

He then joined the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University, where he received tenure (2006), and became full professor (2013), department chair, and a Certified Professional Engineer of Ontario. At McMaster Computer Science was part of the Faculty of Engineering, and the curriculum emphasized applications, and as such it was a perfect counterpoint to Michael’s theoretical bent at the University of Toronto.

Michael has been a visiting scholar at many institutions, including: the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (2004), the Jagiellonian University in Poland (2007), a year as a Visiting Ulam Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2007-08), a semester at the University of Rio Cuarto in Argentina (2008), and a half-year at the University of California at San Diego (2012).

In 2014 Michael joined the department of Computer Science at the California State University at Channel Islands, as chair of the department. As CI is poised to grow over the next years, Michael is committed to building a student oriented and world-class department of Computer Science.

Michael is excited to be in such a beautiful part of the country; the campus and surrounding area remind him of Spain where he grew up. A hiking enthusiast, Michael looks forward to exploring the hills surrounding the campus and local mountains.